2015 Old Blog

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released its January 2016 Visa Bulletin highlighting the processing dates for employment- and family-based green card applications. The format of the bulletin recently changed. Each month the DOS will publish the updated Visa Bulletin and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will issue a subsequent announcement one week later, informing foreign nationals if they may use the Dates for Visa Application charts or not. For more information, read Introducing the new Visa Bulletin.

Our vision continues to lend itself to building the best immigration management solution for our customers. As chief product and technology officer, I take immense pride alongside my team in creating a platform that solves problems for our customers and pushes the boundaries of innovation in the space.

The omnibus appropriations bill that was signed into law on Friday altered multiple immigration programs. The spending measure provides discretionary funding for the government until Sept. 30, 2016.

To lend H-1B sponsors a helping hand this cap season, we’ve enlisted the assistance of VISANOW-retained attorney Karen Gillespie. Each month in our attorney Q&A series, she’ll answer questions to help you prepare a strong work visa petition.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a draft policy memo to help clarify wording in the requirements for H-1B Person in Specialty Occupation and other work visa transfers. Many foreign nationals waiting for employment-based green cards share the concern that a job change would cause them to lose their spot in the green card queue or invalidate their current visa status. According to USCIS, that concern often stems from misinformation about what USCIS considers a “same” or “similar” job, which is one of the requirements for a transfer.

In an overwhelming majority, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill tightening security restrictions of the Visa Waiver Program. Currently, nationals from 38 countries may travel to the United States for 90 days without obtaining a visa, however, the bill aims to add restrictions to countries deemed “high risk.”

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) expanded the H-2A Temporary Agricultural and H-2B Temporary Nonagricultural visa programs. Beginning Jan. 18, nationals from 16 countries, including Andorra, Belgium, Brunei, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Singapore, Taiwan and Timor-Leste, will be eligible to apply for temporary work visa sponsorship.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released its December 2015 Visa Bulletin. However, the format of the bulletin has recently changed. Going forward, the DOS will publish the updated Visa Bulletin each month, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will issue a subsequent announcement one week later, informing foreign nationals if they may use the Dates for Visa Application charts or not. For more information, read Introducing the new Visa Bulletin.

Update: In response to the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to uphold the expanded DACA/DAPA injunction, on November 20, the Obama administration appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The following Monday, Texas asked the Supreme Court for a 30-day extension to respond to the appeal (a request that has subsequently been filed by 25 other states), but the court granted the states only an eight-day delay. As a result, the justices will determine whether or not to take the case in January — keeping the case on track to be resolved by June, Politico reports.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) decade-long effort to digitize its nearly 100 immigration forms has seen little progress, racking up about $1 billion in project costs and operating on a tenuous timeline for completion, reported The Washington Post in today’s edition. Right now, the only digital immigration form available through USCIS is an application to renew or replace a green card. Yet many immigrants who have used the application waited as long as a year or never received their new card at all.